Products and parts for various applications and industries must be produced cost-effectively and efficiently in order to meet customer pricing demands. Injection molding is one example of a manufacturing process used to efficiently produce various products of various materials. For example, flower pots may be manufactured using a steel mold that represents a desired shape and style. Appropriate material is injected into the mold cavity and pressed or stamped to take the shape of the mold, thereby producing a flower pot of the desired shape and style upon cooling.
Injection molds may only be used for a single shape and style, however. Producing a different shape and style for example, requires a different mold. Steel injection molds may be expensive to manufacture and therefore it may not be cost effective to replace a steel injection mold with a new steel injection mold every time a new shape or style flower pot is desired. Furthermore, producing injection molds using alternative materials may not yield effective results since alternative materials may not have the same strength properties as steel. Specifically, the injection mold may not be capable of withstanding the forces exerted by a stamping or pressing tool during the manufacturing process.